World Day for Decent Work: Women mobilize for maternity protection

On World Day for Decent Work on 7 October, women workers joined IndustriALL’s simultaneous mobilizations in Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand to fight against precarious work.

Precarious work disproportionately affects women. The mobilizations also called for the ratification and implementation of ILO Convention183 on Maternity Protection.

Cambodian affiliates distributed posters and shared information on increased maternity protection and short-term contracts to both men and women workers at workplaces. Affiliates held demonstrations in front of their workplaces in support of increased maternity protection.

In Indonesia, more than 500 women and men workers rallied in front of the parliamentary office to push for the ratification of Conventions on Safety and Health and Mining (ILO 176) and Maternity Protection (ILO 183).

In the Philippines, almost 500 women and men workers marched to the Department of Labor and Employment to advocate for an end to precarious contract work, to support the proposed legislation to increase maternity leave to 120 days, and for the ratification of the maternity protection convention.

A dialogue between IndustriALL Philippines leaders was held with representatives of the labour department, stressing the call to end contractualization.

More than 400 workers from Thai affiliates assembled at the Democracy monument and marched to the Thai United Nations office to call on the government to ratify the maternity protection convention.